Another case of H5N1

Egypt had yet another case of H5N1 today - the 56th case in the country. A two-year old boy contracted the virus and is in critical condition in the hospital.

Although I'm not really surprised anymore when I hear about cases of avian influenza in Egypt, I was surprised by this case because of the age of the boy. Two-years of age is a lot younger than most cases of avian influenza. It's not uncommon to see cases in children five- to six-years old because rural children often help their mothers care for and slaughter chickens and are thus exposed to particles from feathers and chicken blood. But two-years old seems too young to be exposed by helping with any of these tasks.

After a few discussions, we finally resolved that the infection is most likely due to the cold weather this week. When it's cold outside like it has been lately, rural families bring their animals into the household to stay warm. It's most likely that the chickens were cooped up under a bed where the child played, and unfortunately the child was probably exposed by close interaction there.